South Kerry Development Partnership CLG

Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme Co-operation Project
(ACRES CP)

Our Programmes

Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme Co-operation Project (ACRES CP)

Co-funded by the European Union and the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine

The ACRES Kerry – West Cork CP is one of eight cooperation projects across Ireland which are working with farmers in areas of high nature value as part of the Common Agricultural Policy’s national agri-environmental climate measure. It is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) and is administered by South Kerry Development Partnership CLG (SKDP).

In 2022 SKDP secured the tender to oversee and manage The ACRES Kerry – West Cork CP. In order to achieve this, SKDP draw from its wealth of knowledge and experience working with rural community groups, farmers, farming families, the general public, charities and semi-state bodies.

The scheme covers both the private and commonage land of farms which fall into the overall co-operation zone of Kerry – West Cork, along with some non-co-operation commonages, outside of this zone. ACRES categorises plots into 10 different scorecards for target habitats and species, allowing for the speedy assessment and scoring of land.

There are 48 Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) and 79 Landscape Actions (LAs) available to farmers across the project, helping them to bring up their scores, providing farm infrastructure and benefiting wildlife. Implementing a far-reaching initiative of this scale and complexity is not without its challenges.

It requires significant resources to establish common standards and procedures; to educate farmers and their advisors on the objectives and standards of the scheme; to undertake habitat assessments; and to provide adequate support and training so that farmers can correctly undertake NPIs and LAs in the appropriate locations.

There are three main elements of the ACRES Co-operation Project (CP):

Results-based habitat assessments are very important to determine the environmental quality of farmland, they help farmers, advisors and CP staff to target issues at the field-level. NPIs and LAs are funded actions which are available to support farmers in protecting watercourses, ensuring the land continues to store carbon, improving the condition of habitats, supporting the protection of rare and threatened species and managing invasive species.

When we speak about habitats, we refer to any patch of land where plants and animals are known to live; some common examples of habitats in Kerry and Cork include grasslands, bogs, woodland, saltmarshes and dunes.

To help with the role out of the ACRES CP at the local level, participating farmers in Kerry and West Cork will have the support of our local teams who are spread between our Camp, Killorglin, Kenmare and Bantry offices.

Biodiversity

The Kerry – West Cork region is of considerable importance for biodiversity, both in Ireland and Europe, supporting a huge range of rare and protected habitats and species. Within the co-operation project area, there are 37 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) supporting 40 Annex I habitats and 20 Annex II species. There are 14 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) supporting 14 Annex I bird species, with 31 other bird species listed as qualifying interests. At a national level, there are 9 Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) and 66 proposed Natural Heritage Areas (pNHAs), as well as a suite nationally and regionally rare and threatened species.

This diversity of habitats and species is linked to the varied landscape of the region including the upland habitats supporting species-rich grasslands and a number of Annex I peatland habitats; and the coastal areas supporting coastal heath, coastal grassland and sea cliff habitats. Freshwater rivers and lakes are abundant across the region (many of which are still classed as high-status waterbodies) supporting sensitive species such as salmon and the highly endangered freshwater pearl mussel. The coastal areas and offshore islands are recognised for nationally and internationally important populations of seabirds including and species such chough and peregrine falcon. The climatic conditions of the region with high rainfall and relatively mild winters also contribute to the overall diversity and allow a number of species, not found elsewhere in the country, to thrive. For example, southwest Ireland is one of the most important areas in Europe for bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) as a result of its humid, oceanic climate. It is these climactic conditions, soil profiles and bedrock arrangements which contribute to the prevalence of high nature value farmland within the region.

Results-Based Habitat Assessments

All farmers who participate in the ACRES CP will have their land scored through a results-based habitat assessment. Using scorecards, farm advisors will assess the condition of a farmer’s private land in the CP Zone, whereas the CP team will assess the commonages. In each parcel, these scorecards are designed to assess, among other things, the cover of certain plant species, the vegetation structure, and threats and pressures facing the site (such as burning, dumping, soil erosion, invasive species, or water pollution).

In the Kerry / West Cork Co-operation Zone, there are eight scorecards in use. These are:

Grassland – Whether they’re grazed or cut, grass-dominated areas can be highly beneficial to both nature and agriculture.
Coastal Grassland – Sand dunes and saltmarshes are habitats with a distinct coastal influence.
Chough – Sites of particular importance to the Red-billed Chough, usually with a coastal influence.
Peatland – Bog or heath with wet soils and abundant mosses, lichens, liverworts and heathers.
Woodland – Areas dominated by woody tree species, usually over 4m in height.
Scrub – Areas dominated by low-growing trees, shrubs and brambles.
Rough Grazing – Less intensively managed grasslands where scrub is often abundant.
Breeding Wader – Wetter fields where well-balanced grazing is vital for breeding waders.

As the ACRES Kerry – West Cork Co-operation Project is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, at no point will a farmer be charged for the services of the CP team, including for commonage assessments.

The results-based payments are calculated on a field-by-field basis. The participant’s overall score is then calculated according to three criteria:

How many hectares do you farm?
What were your field scores during the habitat assessments?
Are the fields privately-owned or held in commonage?

ACRES CP farmers have the opportunity to receive €7,000 per year from their results-based assessments of their private and commonage lands. This will of course depend, as noted above, on the amount of land a farmer has and what ACRES scores the plots are receiving.

Field Score (Private)	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	<4
Payment Rate (€/ha)	400	350	300	250	205	175	150	0
Reduced Scale for farmers receiving OFS (€/ha)	150	100	50	0	0	0	0	0

Field Score (Commonage)	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	<4
Payment Rate (€/ha)	220	180	145	115	90	70	60	0
Commonage <10ha in size (€/ha)	120
There is a participation payment set at €50/ha on the first 20 hectares irrespective of the results-based score. The payment rates in this table includes this payment in the calculation.

NPIs – Non-Productive Investments

Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) can be thought of as small-scale ‘supporting actions’ that a farmer can take to address environmental issues on their farm, along with providing much needed infrastructure. By implementing these actions, farmers can help to improve their field scores, receive higher payments over the duration of their contract, and invest in the farm. Many NPIs are targeted at improving the condition of habitats on the farm, or at directly supporting wildlife. For example, creating riparian margins can protect local watercourses, whereas controlling the spread of bracken into high quality grasslands can improve the quality of that habitat. Similarly, hanging well-made nesting and roosting boxes in appropriate locations can help to support our native birds and bats.

Farm advisors apply for NPIs on behalf of farmers on the DAFM website. These NPIs are then checked by the CP team to verify that the proposed actions are suitable for the intended location and that no unintended side effects will come about from the actions.

There are a couple of important points to remember when planning to undertake Non-Productive Investments and Landscape Actions:

If you find it challenging to apply for NPIs early on in your ACRES contract, there is no need to panic. If you do not spend part of your budget on these supporting actions in any given year of your contract, that money is not lost. The remainder of your budget which has not yet been spent on NPIs will be carried forward to the next year.
If you receive a low score on your farm or you’re farm is not large enough to get the full payment, and you do not receive the maximum payment of €7,000 from your results-based habitat assessment, the balance between what you did receive (e.g., €5,000) and the €7,000 limit is then added to the budget that you have available to spend on Non-Productive Investments (€2,000 in this instance).

Please note that no purchases may be made and no work may be carried out until you have received written approval from DAFM telling you to go ahead with the action in the proposed location.

For a full-list of the NPIs available as part of ACRES CP and their associated payment rates, click this link: ACRES CP NPI Specifications – July 2025.

LAs – Landscape Actions

Landscape actions (LAs) differ from NPIs in that they are used to address problems that occur across the whole farm, or at even larger scales. Although there are many LAs detailed within the specifications, actions which will be most applicable to the Kerry and West Cork CP Zone are likely to include those relating to the control of invasive species, targeted grazing, water quality improvements, peatland restoration & hydrology, training, and the conservation of priority species (Freshwater Pearl Mussel or Lesser Horseshoe Bats, for example).

The CP team are currently developing landscape action plans for farms and commonages to address local and regional environmental objectives. These actions are being promoted to farmers in the relevant areas, and the CP team will be available to support farmers in planning these actions for their locality.

For a full-list of the LAs available as part of ACRES CP and their associated payment rates, click this link: ACRES CP LA Specifications July 2025.

Training & Resources

A number of LAs, and a few NPIs, require training prior to commencement of the actions. As a result, the CP team will be contacting the relevant farmers on an ongoing basis to notify them of upcoming training events. We endeavour to provide training as close as possible to the relevant farms, although this may not always be possible. Training courses range in topic from the treatment methods for different invasive species to actions associated with water quality.

Upcoming Events

Resources for Farmers and Advisors

Specifications

Results-based Assessments

Additional resources

For further details, please contact the relevant officer for your area listed below:

Area	Contact Name/Title	Office Location	Contact No.	E-mail
All Kerry West Cork	Patricia Deane	Killorglin ACRES CP Office, Elm House, Library Place, 1st Floor (above ALDI), Killorglin, Co. Kerry, V93 V59F	087 203 1034	pdeane@skdp.net
All Kerry West Cork	Marianah Sahmad	Killorglin ACRES CP Office, Elm House, Library Place, 1st Floor (above ALDI), Killorglin, Co. Kerry, V93 V59F	066 976 1348	msahmad@skdp.net
All Kerry West Cork	Mary Toomey	Killorglin ACRES CP Office, Elm House, Library Place, 1st Floor (above ALDI), Killorglin, Co. Kerry, V93 V59F	087 720 1760	mtoomey@skdp.net
All Kerry West Cork	Alice Hand	Killorglin ACRES CP Office, Elm House, Library Place, 1st Floor (above ALDI), Killorglin, Co. Kerry, V93 V59F	087 406 8929	ahand@skdp.net
Killorglin / Beaufort / Glenbeigh / Caherciveen / Waterville / Valentia	Stephen O’Shea	Killorglin ACRES CP Office, Elm House, Library Place, 1st Floor (above ALDI), Killorglin, Co. Kerry, V93 V59F	087 477 1281	soshea@skdp.net
Killorglin / Beaufort / Glenbeigh / Caherciveen / Waterville / Valentia	Luke Myers	Killorglin ACRES CP Office, Elm House, Library Place, 1st Floor (above ALDI), Killorglin, Co. Kerry, V93 V59F	087 368 3109	lmyers@skdp.net
Killorglin / Beaufort / Glenbeigh / Caherciveen / Waterville / Valentia	Aoife Daly	Killorglin ACRES CP Office, Elm House, Library Place, 1st Floor (above ALDI), Killorglin, Co. Kerry, V93 V59F	086 2025433	adaly@skdp.net
Camp / West Kerry / Castlemaine / Kilcummin / Castlegregory	Mike Morrissey	ACRES CP Kerry West Cork, O’Dwyers Digital Hub, Camp, Tralee, Co. Kerry, V92 EY74	087 356 6270	mmorrissey@skdp.net
Camp / West Kerry / Castlemaine / Kilcummin / Castlegregory	Catherine Heduan	ACRES CP Kerry West Cork, O’Dwyers Digital Hub, Camp, Tralee, Co. Kerry, V92 EY74	087 429 0971	cheduan@skdp.net
Kenmare / Sneem / Killarney / Bonane / Caherdaniel	Daire O’Hare Doherty	ACRES CP Kerry West Cork, 21 Henry Street, 1st Floor, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, V93 W1K2	087 346 5215	dodoherty@skdp.net
Kenmare / Sneem / Killarney / Bonane / Caherdaniel	Tiernan O’Shea	ACRES CP Kerry West Cork, 21 Henry Street, 1st Floor, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, V93 W1K2	087 909 0602	toshea@skdp.net
Kenmare / Sneem / Killarney / Bonane / Caherdaniel	Caoimhe Mulcahy	ACRES CP Kerry West Cork, 21 Henry Street, 1st Floor, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, V93 W1K2	087 109 1407	cmulcahy@skdp.net
West Cork / Glengarriff / Lauragh / Bantry / Sheep’s Head	Stephen Mulkearn	ACRES CP Kerry West Cork, The Warner Centre, Block 1, Barrack Street, Bantry, Co. Cork, P75YD43	087 397 8655	smulkearn@skdp.net
West Cork / Glengarriff / Lauragh / Bantry / Sheep’s Head	Kevin O’Sullivan	ACRES CP Kerry West Cork, The Warner Centre, Block 1, Barrack Street, Bantry, Co. Cork, P75YD43	087 477 1296	kosullivan@skdp.net